I was really looking forward to this - I read Billy Liar as a child and found the character endearing then. Perhaps even then Billy Liar would have worked better for me on the page than on the screen. I found this movie disappointing.
No complaints regarding cast - Tom Courtenay is always great value, Julie Christie is simply adorable, Leonard Rossiter one of the UK's great character actor / comedians.
Perhaps it is just that this style of British film making hasn't aged well, but I found the movie slow, unfunny and unconvincing. I know it is hailed as a British film classic, but it simply didn't work for me. Aficionados of British movies should see this film to form their own view. But those who simply want to discover the world of Billy Liar are better off with their noses in the book, in my view.
No complaints regarding cast - Tom Courtenay is always great value, Julie Christie is simply adorable, Leonard Rossiter one of the UK's great character actor / comedians.
Perhaps it is just that this style of British film making hasn't aged well, but I found the movie slow, unfunny and unconvincing. I know it is hailed as a British film classic, but it simply didn't work for me. Aficionados of British movies should see this film to form their own view. But those who simply want to discover the world of Billy Liar are better off with their noses in the book, in my view.